


Testament

by TaergaLive



Series: The Nigmas [1]
Category: Batman - Fandom, Riddler - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-10-19 23:10:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10650012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaergaLive/pseuds/TaergaLive
Summary: After reading about the death of his estranged mother, Edward decides to attend the funeral to make his peace. He leaves, however, with more questions than answers.





	Testament

Even with all of the marvels of the modern world, Edward had to say one of his favorite creations was online banking. No more waiting in line to cash a check, stuck behind unimaginably ignorant people who hold the line up because they had forgotten to sign the check or cannot remember their social security number. No more need for explosives or trucks. All one needed was some form of connective media, answers to some personal questions, and patience.

Not all of Edward’s money was dirty, but he could hardly say most of it was clean. Even before he became known as the Riddler, Edward had a knack for taking what he thought was rightfully his. Minimum wage was the real crime here. After years of money laundering, evading taxes, identify theft, and actual, physical monetary theft, Edward Nigma had a hefty amount of money to his name. It was a real shame that no bail was posted for his arrest. No, being deemed criminally insane meant he had to be locked up until someone claimed him sane again.

He tried buying his way out. Bribe the right person. Blackmail the right person. Somehow, someone always got in his way. But it was no matter. Edward was a smart man. He would find another way out of Arkham once and for all. Once he was free, he could truly work in peace to finally prove that he was smarter than the Bat.

It was on one of those days, one of those fine, pleasant days when he was able to break out of Arkham’s oppressive atmosphere, that Edward found himself shopping for a new suit. A tailor-made suit, of course. Three pieces, the jacket single breasted with a matching waistcoat underneath. Looking over the handiwork, Edward felt odd. It was a very sophisticated look, but he wished it didn’t have to be black. When he thought about it, he never had to wear a black suit before. But it was the custom to wear black at a funeral, and although he normally loved to stand out in a crowd, this was one instance he wanted to blend in.

Handing over the cash for the suit, Edward sauntered off in the general direction of the church. He could have taken a taxi, but the weather was quite genial and he wanted to enjoy his freedom on the outside as long as he could. Edward would never admit that he was also avoiding his destination for as long as he could. After all, what kind of son would he be to miss his own mother’s funeral? Then again, what kind of mother abandons her only child? No, not even abandon. Abandon would suggest that Edward was left to his own devices, and that would have been a more favorable fate. No, she left him with his father, a man Edward would have preferred the funeral be for. Edward would cherish that day immensely. Why, if it was his father’s funeral he was attending, Edward would have gone all out on the suit. Forget about standard conventions. He would show up in the loudest of suits, followed by a chorus line of showgirls and an entire marching band. There wouldn’t be a wet eye in the entire church as Edward would dance on the old man’s coffin.

But that wasn’t the case. His father, as far as Edward knew, was still very much alive. It was his mother they were burying today.

He almost didn’t know about it. A fellow inmate was reading the newspaper, the obituaries just happened to be facing Edward, and Edward snatched the paper up when he saw the name Elli Leland. Leland, his mother’s maiden name. So, she didn’t just give me up, Edward thought. He saw the day of the service and started planning his escape.

The church was modest yet strikingly ornate, as often are Catholic churches. Dark stone with stained glass windows, a small courtyard lined with flowers a statue of The Holy Virgin carrying a Baby Jesus. A mother and son. _How appropriate_ , Edward mused as he made his way up the stairs. Guarding the doorway were two somber men, somber but not distressed. Detached from the family yet taking the even seriously. They shook Edward’s hand and thanked him for coming as they handed him a prayer card with a picture of his mother on it. He pocketed it, not even sparing it a glance.

Entering the church, his eyes took a moment to adjust to the light while his ears listened in. Voices jumped off the walls. Some laughter, some sobs. The viewing just before the funeral was always filled with mixed emotions. People sharing fond memories with loved ones. Young, clueless children chasing each other, weaving in and out of the pews. Front and center stood floral arrangements and an embellished urn, behind which stood the picture of his mother that was on the prayer card. She was young in the picture but older than Edward could remember. Her auburn hair curled and framed her green eyes. Edward had gotten his red hair and complexion from his mother, but his blue eyes and grief from his father.

Edward made his way up to the altar, stopping short a few pews away. He could make his peace from there. No need to get so close. He never imaged his Catholic mother being fine with cremation, but he was thrilled he didn’t have to see her corpse. He wasn’t sure if he could have stayed if he had to stare at her unmoving body the entire service.

A woman in her early fifties stood by the urn, talking earnestly with the priest, a sad smile dancing on her lips. That smile faded when she saw Edward. Turned into a scowl. Edward returned it with a smile, albeit a bit too smugly.

“Aunt Eileen!” he accosted. “You’re looking as beautiful as ever!”

She grabbed his arm and spoke in a low voice. “You have some nerve showing up here.”

Edward threw a hand to his chest. “Of course I’m here. A boy really ought to bury his own mother, even though that very mother practically left him for dead.”

Despite the fact he hadn’t seen his mother since the day she left him, he still happened to see her family members around holidays and birthdays. Everyone always acted as if nothing had happened. Ellie left, disappeared, and no one knew where she went. His Aunt Eileen tried her best to act as a surrogate mother, but that role is hard to accomplish when you only see your nephew three or four times a year.

Aunt Eileen hissed. “Aren’t you supposed to be in jail? You are going to ruin this funeral.”

Brusquely, Edward removed her hand from his arm and fixed the sleeve she had crinkled. “You won’t even know I’m here.”

Eileen frowned, but the organ interrupted any further argument. A hush fell over the mourners as everyone took their seats. Normally, the immediate family sat in the front two pews, but Edward sat himself a few pews back. He was his mother’s only son, true, but he was certainly not her family. Still, as the service began, Edward kept an eye on that first row. Aunt Eileen and her husband sat down, their children, cousins all around Edward’s age, beside them. They were all Ellie’s next of kin, her only true family. But for some odd reason, they sat in the second pew. There was only one person in the first pew: a young girl all alone.

She faced forward, so Edward could not get a good look at her face, but he could hardly imagine her being any older than ten. Why on earth was she up there? And all alone for that matter?

Edward found himself phasing in and out of the service. Most of it was a normal mass, with a heavy focus on loss of course. Every so often, the priest would tell a story about Ellie, but Edward would tune them out. He was debating whether or not he should just sneak out when the priest announced that Ellie’s daughter was going to present the eulogy.

Daughter?

The young girl in the front row stood up. Aunt Eileen reached out to her, but the girl shrugged her away. She made her way up front, not bothering to bow to the altar as was custom in the Catholic church. She reached the podium, and that’s when Edward got a good look at her. Short brown hair rested on her shoulders. Light brown freckles adorned her face. A pair of wired glasses covered her bloodshot green eyes.

Daughter?

She tapped the microphone, staring intently at anything but her mother’s urn or the people watching her. She gripped the podium so tightly she looked as though she would throw it at any minute. Hushed whispers echoed the room as the girl just stood there, her shoulders heaving. Her jaw twitched, she pressed her lips together, and it became obvious to Edward that this was not the girl’s idea. The priest started to make his way over to her, but she pushed herself away from the podium before he could reach her. There were no tears in her eyes as she stormed down the aisle, but her eyebrows were furrowed and her hands clenched. Aunt Eileen shop up, watching as the girl pushed the heavy church doors open and stomp outside, but instead of going after the girl, Eileen jumped up to the podium. It appeared as though she had prepared a eulogy just in case this happened.

Edward couldn’t bear to hear what his aunt had to say about her estranged sister. With a few pardons, he made his way out of the pew and headed outside. Squinting, Edward took a deep breath of the fresh air, happy to be away from all of the incense and emotions of the church. He had forgotten just how exhausting a funeral could be. The last one he had attended was for a great uncle back when he was in high school and still living with his father. Seeing his father sit so still in the pew was an image Edward had trouble letting go.

Next door to the church, Edward could hear children giggling and playing. The Catholic school had let the children out for morning recess. The young girl sat alongside the fence, her back to the children. Despite the black dress she was wearing, she held her knees up to her chest, bright yellow gym shorts peeking out underneath.

Edward turned away, still stealing glances at her, trying to find some aspect of her that didn’t remind him of his mother.

“If you came out here to cheer me up, you’re doing a real shitty job of it,” the girl called over to him. Her profanity made the nearby children squeal.

Edward cocked a brow, turning back towards her. “Who said anything about cheering you up?”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s all I’ve been hearing all week. ‘Sorry for your loss,’ ‘If you need anything, just call.’ I don’t even know who half of those people are. They start telling me stories left and right about my mother and how nice a lady she was and how they’ll miss her, but they’ve never made themselves available before. And next week, they’ll go back to their normal lives. It’s just pointless pity to make themselves feel like they've done the right thing.”

He walked over to the fence, facing the same way she was, leaning his elbows against it and crossed his ankles. “How old are you?”

She shifted away from him. “Twelve.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle. “You sound like a disillusioned teenager.”

With a scowl, she turned away from him. “Fuck off.”

With a sigh, Edward looked towards the sky. Part of him wanted to smack her and her sour attitude. He got enough of that from inmates at Arkham. He didn’t need it from some smug little girl. Some smug little girl who claimed to be his mother’s daughter. The mother that left him. The mother that had and kept this girl.

“She’s my mother too,” he found himself saying instead.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her head whip back to him. “You’re Edward?”

He looked at her, taken aback. “That would be me,” he managed to reply evenly.

She nodded before turning away again. “My mom...mom told me about you. A little bit. Said she wouldn’t blame you if you hadn’t shown up. You’re in her will though. Aunt Eileen’s not happy about that, but she’s never happy about anything, so who cares.”

Edward hated to admit he was shocked once again. He was in his mother’s will? “Why? What did it say?”

The girl shrugged. “We’re not allowed to read the rest of it until after she’s buried. Mom’s orders. Almost as if she was afraid someone would get angry and smash her pretty vase on the ground. The lawyer is stopping by after the luncheon to go over it with us.”

Before their conversation could go any further, the church bells rang out. Instinctively, Edward checked his watch. It wasn’t the hour, nor was it the half hour. He surmised it meant the mass was over. Indeed, out came the priest carrying the urn, followed by Aunt Eileen, Uncle Jim, Cousins Ted and Addison, and a parade of mourners. Eileen glared over at the girl and mouthed for her to get over there. The girl stared back and didn’t move from her spot. Eileen was visibly upset, but she tried her best to keep it off her face. The urn was placed securely inside the hearse, and Eileen thanked the priest before storming over towards the girl.

“Now Edith,” she started, straining a smile. “I’m trying to be patient with you. I understand you’re upset, but we need to go to the cemetery.”

Edith stood up, brushing the grass off of her dress. “I’m not going. It’s stupid. She was cremated. Why do we have to bury her as well?”

Eileen sighed. “It was your mother’s wishes to be buried in the family plot.”

The girl squinted at her aunt. “How do I know you’re not just making that up?”

“Edith,” Aunt Eileen groaned. “Just get in the car. You’re going to make us late. We cannot be the last ones to show up to the cemetery. Do you understand what is happening today? You are not the only one who lost someone today. We need to complete this ceremony so that everyone can find their peace.”

“I found my peace!” Edith shouted back. “She’s dead and never coming back. Going to a cemetery and burying a stupid vase isn’t going to change that. I’m not going, and if you really want me to go, you’ll have to drag me all the way to the car, and I’ll cause the biggest scene if you do that. I’ll ruin this whole funeral and throw the biggest hissy fit you’ve ever seen. Just try me.”

Glancing over at Uncle Jim, who tapped his watch impatiently, Eileen closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She snapped her eyes back open and pointed at Edward. “This is all your fault. What have you been telling her?”

Edward feigned confusion. “Me? Whatever could you be insinuating?”

She ignored him. “Edith, sweetie,” she tried smiling again, but Edith just turned away. “You can stay in the car. How about that? You don’t have to go to the grave, but you have to come with us. I can’t just let you stay here by yourself.”

Suddenly, a dangerous light sparkled in Edith’s eyes as she whipped back around. “I’ll stay with Edward.”

Both Edward and his aunt flinched. “What?” Edward squawked.

“You’ll do no such thing,” Aunt Eileen said at the same time.

Edith glared at Edward briefly before returning her attention to Eileen. “Yeah, I’ll stay with Edward while you guys run over to the cemetery. After all, somebody’s got to tell him where the collation is, especially since you don’t want him there for the last will and testament.”

Aunt Eileen’s face turned red. Edward couldn’t help but smile. He recalled a time during Christmas when he was nine or ten when she made the same face at him. He had just told his younger cousins that Santa wasn’t real and that they had been being duped all this time. Aunt Eileen was so angry that he had spoiled the Christmas spirit for her children.

If Aunt Eileen was going to argue against it, Edward never found out. Uncle Jim honked the car’s horn, and Aunt Eileen saw that the procession was waiting for them. She poked a finger into Edward’s chest. “If she isn’t at the collation, and in one piece, I will personally see to it that you end up in that grave with your mother before the day is done.”

He just continued to smile smugly. “Don’t you think it’s a little gauche to threaten someone at a funeral?”

She didn’t respond. She just gave him the look she’d give him whenever he was acting up as a child before rushing over to the car.

Edward and Edith watched as the cars pulled away. The sun was now shining directly overhead, a slight breeze making the temperature slightly more bearable. Edward removed his suit jacket and draped it over his arm. With a sigh, Edith reached behind her for the zipper of her dress. Edward blanched for a second, not sure what to do, but as she zipped the dress open, he saw she was wearing a teal tank top underneath. She slid the dress off, looking a bit silly in gym clothes but black Mary Janes on her feet. If she minded, she didn’t show it.

She glanced up at him for a moment. “Thanks by the way,” she muttered.

“For what?” Edward asked.

Edith shrugged. “I don’t know. For sticking around? Letting me tag along with you?”

It was Edward’s turn to shrug. “As you said, I don’t know where the luncheon is being held, and if Aunt Eileen doesn’t want me hearing what’s in the will, I am more than obligated to ruin her day.”

Edith started walking, stopping only when she noticed Edward wasn’t following her. With a head jester, she encouraged him to follow her. They walked along the busy city streets, weaving in and out of the people around them. Although Edith was guiding them, Edward’s long legs kept him in the lead. Every few steps, Edith would jog to keep up, but she didn’t complain about the pace. All she would mutter were a few directions every couple of blocks. Neither one attempted much conversation while walking about.

Now that he had the time, Edward began to analyze the situation. His mother was dead. His mother, the woman who abandoned him at the age of six, was dead. He hadn’t seen her in over 30 years. And sometime in those thirty years, she had this child he was now walking alongside. Growing up as an only child, Edward had often pondered what it would have been like to have siblings. He just never pictured having one that was twenty-four years younger than him.

A pang of jealousy ran up his spine. This girl was the child his mother kept. The child his mother raised. Why was he the one destined to suffer? Why was she allowed a normal life?

Edith pulled him out of his thoughts, announcing that they’ve arrived at the restaurant. It was a simple, family-owned Italian restaurant. Inside, they could see the family setting up the tables and sternos for the food. There were a few picnic-styled tables outside, so the two of them parked themselves down rather than interrupt the work going on inside.

“Did you know the newspapers lied?” Edith announced, resting her chin on the table.

Edward folded his hands under his chin. “What do you mean?”

“About her death.”

As he recalled, the newspaper said she died of an illness she had been suffering from.

Edith straightened herself up, pulling her legs up so she was sitting on top of them. “She wasn’t sick. Well, not in the normal sense. She drank a lot. A lot. I think there was more alcohol in the house than there was food. Anyway, she drank herself dead. Aunt Eileen didn’t want people knowing that, so she changed it in the obituary.”

An alcoholic? Edward tried to pull together what little memory he had of his mother. He did recall seeing her with a drink often in hand, but his father had drunk often as well, so he had just thought it normal. Something adults did. But what if his mother was an alcoholic? Could that explain why she had just left? Why she just disappeared.

Edith took his silence as disinterest, so she slumped back in her seat. With her finger, she began to trace a pattern on the table. “I was the one who found her,” she told him. “She was face down on the sofa. It was like she was asleep. I kept yelling at her, telling her she had to go to work. I didn’t notice it until after I had gotten ready for school and she was still just lying there. I don’t even know if she was dead the whole time or not.”

For some reason, Edward felt himself put his guard up. He did not want to pity this child. As childish as it might seem to someone else, Edward did not want to feel anything but resentment toward the child who got the chance to be reared by his mother. So what that she was the one who found her dead? At least she didn’t find out by looking in the newspaper. That had to be worse, right?

With a shrug, Edith placed her dress on the table and used it as a pillow to rest her head on. They listened to the traffic pass them by. At some point, the restaurant owner opened the front door to let in some air. He saw Edward’s black suit and asked if he was there from the funeral. Edward told him yes, and the man offered his condolences, inviting the two of them inside.

“You can go in,” Edith said. “I’d rather stay out here. I think it’s stupid to have a party after someone just died.”

Edward stood up, throwing his jacket over his right shoulder. “It’s not actually a party per se. The collation is a part of the mourning process. Its purpose is to heal and remind people that we have to keep going forward.”

“There’s nothing to heal,” Edith muttered, but she got up from her seat regardless and followed Edward inside.

About twenty or so minutes later, the mourners began to arrive, some Edward recognized as distant relatives, others Edward had to assume were friends or coworkers. Aunt Eileen and Uncle Jim were almost the last to arrive, talking with a man in a grey tweed suit. Edward didn’t recognize him from the service, and he quickly deduced that it must be the lawyer.

Despite the collation being in full swing, Edward noticed Edith gravitated towards him. Edward was mingling with some of the guests, keeping quiet who he was. His aunt was right; he was supposed to be locked away. He wasn’t sure just how many people would recognize the Riddler’s real name, but he didn’t want to chance it. He was content to have had no run-ins with the law or a certain Bat just yet, and if everything went as planned, he would be able to break back into Arkham without raising any alarms. A drink in hand, Edward joked and laughed with the other patrons, Edith just a few steps back from him, keeping quiet and her eyes away from everyone. He found her playing as his shadow a tad annoying, but since she wasn’t saying or doing anything, he had let it slide.

Eventually, people began to depart. Many of them wanted to say goodbye to Edith, but she kept behind Edward, refusing to look at anyone. By 2:45, the only ones in the party room of the restaurant were Eileen, Jim, Ted, Addison, Edward, Edith, and the man in the tweed suit. Eileen and Jim were already seated at a table with the lawyer, and once everyone else had realized it was time, the rest of them took their seats, except for Edith. She took one look at the group before her and headed for the door. No one tried to stop her. From the window, they could see she was sitting outside where she and Edward had first waited.

The lawyer cleared his throat and opened his briefcase. “It took some searching, but I believe I found Ellen’s last will and testament,” he said, producing a small packet of papers. “It is dated March 3rd and is signed but Ellen and her attorney. These are Ellen’s final recorded wishes, and it is my duty to see that these wishes are fulfilled to the extent possible.”

March 3rd, Edward mused. That was only about a month ago.

Shuffling through the papers, the lawyer took a sip of his water. It was almost as if he was trying to draw the moment out. Once again, he cleared his throat and proceeded to read the papers aloud:

“‘I, Ellen ‘Ellie” Leland Nigma, being of sound and disposing mind, do hereby make, publish, and declare the following to be my Last Will and Testament, revoking all previous will and codicils made by me. I declare that I am legally married to Robert Nigma, to which I have referred to herein as my "spouse", and that I have two children now living whose names and birth dates are: Edward Nigma, April 1st, 1981; and Edith Leland, March 14th, 2005. I have zero deceased children. All references to "my children" in this will include all of the above-named children.

“‘I appoint my sister, Eileen McNulty, as personal representative of my will. No bond or other security of any kind shall be required of any personal representative appointed in this will. My personal representative, whether original, substitute or successor, shall hereafter also be referred to as my "executor".

“‘I direct that my executor pay all of my funeral expenses, all state and federal estate, inheritance and succession taxes, administration costs and all of my debts subject to statute of limitations, except mortgage notes secured by real estate, as soon as practical.’”

The lawyer paused to take another sip of his water. So far, everything seemed in order. Nothing out of the ordinary in the will, except for the executor being Aunt Eileen and not Edward’s father. However, since Ellie had left Edward’s father years ago, and the man hadn’t even attended the funeral, Edward wasn’t surprised. To hear that she was still legally married to him was strange as well, but Edward realized that she simply left and never divorced the man.

Edith’s last name stuck out to Edward as well. Leland. That was his mother’s maiden name. Edith had her mother’s last name rather than a father’s last name. In fact, Edward hadn’t noticed it before, but Edith didn’t seem to have a father figure around. He didn’t dwell on it for long. The lawyer continued his reading.

“‘I give, devise and bequeath all of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, of whatever kind and character, and wherever located, to my children per stirpes, and I direct that the share of any child of mine who shall have died leaving no issue shall be divided among my surviving children in equal shares per stirpes. My executor shall have the following additional powers with respect to my estate, to be exercised from time to time at my executor's discretion without further license or order of any court. In the event that any of my property, or all of it, at the time of my death is community property under the laws of any jurisdiction, then my will shall be construed as referring only to my community-property interest therein.’”

At this point, the lawyer began to read Ellie’s final wishes. Most of them were simple and made sense. Edward and Edith were getting most of Ellie’s money, with some of it going to Eileen to help her pay for funeral costs as well as “other old debts.” Eileen smiled at that, some tears coming to her eyes, and Edward deducted that it was some sort of inside joke between the sisters. He was surprised with the amount of money he was getting from his mother. She wasn’t well off but considering she hadn’t seen him in over 30 years, he wasn’t expecting a cent to be thrown his way. After taking out the money given to Aunt Eileen, there wasn’t an even amount to give to him and Edith. Surprisingly, Edward ended up getting a few dollars more than Edith, but since Edith’s money was going into a trust fund she couldn’t really touch before she was 18, it made some sense. Edward was also to receive a letter sometime soon, apparently written from his mother. The lawyer said he would have given it to him now, but he had yet found the letter in question.

There were a few other wishes Edward was surprised about. His mother wanted a tree planted in her honor, for instance. He didn’t know his mother was into nature like that. And she wanted some of her remaining money to be donated to the church her funeral was held at. There were some wishes Edward completely understood. Ellie wanted it guaranteed that her “husband” wasn’t getting anything from her. Everything was to go to either Eileen, Edward, or Edith.

After about thirty minutes of listening to legalese, Edward didn’t think the will would ever end. But the lawyer came to one last wish in Ellie’s will.

“‘In the event of my death occurring before Edith turns eighteen, I wish to bequeath custody to my son, Edward Nigma, as he is her next of kin. If any portion of my will shall be held illegal, invalid or -’”

“WHAT?!” Aunt Eileen jumped out of her chair. “She wants to leave Edith in his care?!”

Uncle Jim pulled at Eileen’s sleeve. “Eileen, calm down, and let the man finish.”

Meanwhile, Edward was just as shocked as his aunt. His mother wanted him to have custody of his sister? The sister he didn’t even realize existed? Edward’s mind was racing. Was it not bad enough his mother had left him? Now she expected him to accept custody of a child he hardly knew? Besides how outrageous that thought was, Edward realized there was no possible way his mother hadn’t known about him, about his crimes, about his incarceration. If Eileen had known, surely his mother had to have known as well, right? How was he, if he ever even accepted custody, raise a child from within Arkham?

Eileen seemed to have the same idea. She pointed at Edward. “He’s not even supposed to be here!” She shouted at the lawyer, who looked as though he would rather be anywhere else at the moment. “He probably broke out of prison to be here.”

Again, Uncle Jim tried to calm her down. “Eileen, you’re causing a scene. You're the executor, remember? You have the power to adjust the will as needed.”

It was the lawyer’s turn to try to calm Eileen down. “A testator cannot demand custody to a specific person; they can only request it. Custody is a tricky business. But it appears that your sister wishes for her daughter to be raised by Mister Nigma here.”

As Eileen began to argue again, Edward realized just why Edith didn’t want to be in the room. She had to have known the topic of her custody was going to pop up, right? She was young, but she was old enough to understand that someone had to take care of her. And since he noted that she appeared to have no father figure, that custody was going to either go to the next of kin or to the state.

No wonder Edith was in such a sour mood.

“It is also up to Mister Nigma,” the lawyer said. “If he does not wish to have custody over Miss Edith, then the matter is settled.”

“Of course he doesn’t want custody of her,” Eileen interjected. “The man’s a megalomaniac. He doesn’t care about anyone other than himself. He’s just like his dirtbag father.”

While Edward wanted to agree with his aunt that he had no desire to be saddled with a child, she had taken her argument too far. First, how dare she call him a megalomaniac. Edward presumed she hadn’t the foggiest what the term even meant. Second, how dare she insinuate that Edward didn’t care about others. True, Edward tended to look down upon those who were intellectually inferior to himself, and yes he disliked most people he came in contact with, but that is not a conclusion she had the right to come to. And third, how dare she insist that he is anything like his father. Edward strove to be the complete opposite of that demonic man every day of his life. He refused to turn into the man his father tried to beat into him. His aunt knew nothing about him, and for her to try to speak up on his behalf filled him with a rage he hadn’t felt before. It was a quiet, simmering rage, one that wouldn’t quite overboil anytime soon, but one could feel the heat rising. It was an impetuous rage that made the words tumble out of his mouth before he could even register them.

“I accept custody of Edith Leland.”

Only the sounds of the restaurant could be heard. Eileen’s face went from anger to shock to confusion and back to anger all in a matter of seconds, but she couldn’t muster any more words to say.

Edward’s expression remained calm, but inside he was just as baffled and mad as his aunt. What had he just said? Did he really just accept custody? Surely that didn’t mean it was set in stone? No, he would have to sign paperwork for it to be official. He still had time to take it back.

But for some reason, as he watched the anger boil in his aunt’s eyes, Edward refused to take it back. He was enjoying the power he now held over his aunt.

Swiftly, Edward stood up and smiled at the lawyer. “Could I have your card. I’d like to stay in touch about the issue. I’m sure we could arrange a time for me to sign whatever paperwork needs to be filled out.”

The lawyer gave him his card. “I’m not exactly the one who will be conducting that transfer, but I will assist in any way I can.”

Aunt Eileen tried to say something, but she could only muster a stutter. Edward smiled at her. “It’s been wonderful seeing you all again. I just wish it was during a more joyous time. Maybe we could get together on Memorial Day, just like old times.”

With that, Edward saunter out of the restaurant, the smug smile on his face juxtaposing the list of profanities running through his mind. Upon reaching outside, he glanced over at Edith. The girl was watching him, a bored look on her face. But he could see it, the glimmer of hope. Did she know that her mother wanted him to watch over her? Or did she just want anyone else to take her rather than Aunt Eileen?

Checking his watch, Edward decided he didn’t have the time to dwell on any of it just yet. He had to get himself back to Arkham before his plan backfired. Besides, he had a lot he needed to think about, and if Arkham was good for anything, it was providing him time to think. He turned to Edith and gave her a wink before heading down the street.

**Author's Note:**

> Listen, I warned people I was going to write it. So now the world has to know about my little Edith.  
> Also I meant for this to be more of a oneshot but I'm pretty sure I just opened this to be a series of oneshots. So I guess expect that?


End file.
